All countries that joined NATO went through the same process, with a certain number of army members and civilians not getting a NATO certificate. This is because of the vast pool of information that the country gets access to when becoming a member, meaning that the Alliance is cautious, said Defense Minister Radmila Shekerinska on Wednesday.
Minister Shekerinska said the fact that a person has not received a certificate does not mean he/she had done something unlawful or against the country’s interests, but because of objective reasons ‘which we do not have the right to question.”
“What we definitely do not have the right to do is politicize the issue. We should not allow ourselves to destroy something that has been earned by hard work in order to gain political points,” Shekerinska told reporters.
According to her, it is not right to politicize the issue for the sake of the people who have had long careers but also for the sake of the country’s image as NATO member.
“This is why we have this certification process, since added control is a good thing, considering the access to data, information and documents that we have never had before,” said Shekerinska.
She added that persons possessing a NATO certificate will be the only ones to work with NATO documents, whereas those having access to classified information in accordance with the country’s regulations will be able to use national classified information.
